Fluorescent lighting fixtures require ballasts, and, like virtually all such items, ballasts can fail. Historically, two types of ballasts have been used and are typically termed slave ballasts and emergency ballasts. Government standardized codes requite, in public institutions such as offices, schools and the like, that an emergency ballast be installed in addition to the slave ballast that is standard equipment in the fluorescent light fixtures. The emergency ballast is required to operate the light fixture for a specified period of time, typically 90 minutes. The dual installation is less than optimally cost effective. However, current expense considerations can still enjoy a cost benefit with a standard fluorescent fixture installation and emergency ballast installation thereafter. And, if older fixtures are the norm, a fixture replacement with included slave and emergency ballasts may not be preferential to installing an emergency ballast. Additional problems exist in the act of ballast installation and replacement itself, whether emergency or slave. Ballasts currently used typically require about 20 minutes for replacement, as mechanical fasteners are used in their retention, and wires are typically stripped and wire-tied together, with the accompanying mess cleanup requiring additional time. The present apparatus solves these problems.